Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry says President Obama's call for the resignation of the Syrian president is long overdue.

PEMBROKE, N.H. — Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry says President Obama's call for the resignation of the Syrian president is long overdue.

The Texas governor says Syrian President Bashar Assad supports terrorist groups and has threatened the security of the Syrian people and the region. He says that every diplomatic option should be used to force Assad to step down.

Perry made the comments to construction workers Thursday afternoon during a campaign stop inside a New Hampshire business.

Obama as well as the leaders of Britain, France and Germany and the European Union demanded that Assad resign, saying his brutal suppression of his people had made him unfit to lead.